Kelly Bates
|Row 4 title = Spouse(s): |Row 4 info = Gil Bates (December 19, 1987 - present) |Row 5 title = Children: |Row 5 info = Zachary, Lawson, Nathan, Trace, Jackson, Warden, Isaiah, Judson & Jeb (sons) Michaela, Erin, Alyssa, Tori, Carlin, Josie, Addallee, Ellie & Callie-Anna (daughters) |Row 6 title = Parents: |Row 6 info = Kenneth Callaham, Sr. (father; deceased) Betty Miller (mother) |Row 7 title = Siblings: |Row 7 info = Kenneth "Chip" Jr. (brother) Kay, Kim, Beth & Beka (sisters) William, Ty & Lee (step-brothers) |Row 8 title = Other family: |Row 8 info = Bradley, Carson & Kade (grandsons) Kaci, Khloé, Brooklyn, Everly, Holland, Allie, Lexi, Zoey, Willow & Layla (granddaughters) |Row 9 title = Social media: |Row 9 info = Instagram }}Kelly Jo Bates (née Callaham) (born October 26, 1966) is the matriarch of the Bates family. She is the wife of Gil Bates with whom she has 19 children and 14 grandchildren. Early life Kelly Jo Callaham was born to Kenneth H. Callaham, Sr., and Betty Jo Smith. She was the couple's fourth child, and her mother went on two adopt two more children after her. Not much is known about Kelly's childhood. At some point when she was a child, her parents divorced. Her mother remarried twice once Kelly was an adult, with her third husband coming after her second husband's death. Family Kelly began college at Anderson University, where she met Gil Bates. The two served on the same ministry team, and when Gil needed tutoring for his chemistry class, Kelly was the lab assistant. The two then transferred to Carson Newman University. Gil proposed to Kelly while they were still in school. Gil and Kelly got marred on December 19, 1987. Motherhood Although Gil and Kelly had expected to not start having children until they had been married for five years, Kelly got pregnant only a few months after getting married, and on December 30, 1988, the couple's first child, Zachary Gilvin, was born. Just over a year later, Zach was joined by a sister, Michael Christian, on January 23, 1990. Kelly quickly got pregnant again, and by this point Gil said he "got excited about having children". This child, Erin Elise, was born on May 2, 1991, and was joined by sixteen more: William Lawson was born on July 27, 1992, Kenneth Nathaniel was born on August 29, 1993, Alyssa Joy was born on November 9, 1994, Tori Layne was born on December 20, 1995, Trace Whitfield was born on February 1, 1997, Carlin Brianne was born on April 11, 1998, Josie Kellyn was born on August 4, 1999, Katie Grace was born on October 5, 2000, Jackson Ezekiel was born on February 17, 2002, Warden Justice was born on May 19, 2003, Isaiah Courage was born on October 16, 2004, Addallee Hope was born on February 17, 2006, Ellie Bridge was born on April 28, 2007, Callie-Anna Rose was born on August 2, 2009, Judson Wyatt was born on September 15, 2010 and Jeb Colton was born on February 2, 2012. Gil is a very involved father, and does his best to spend as much quality time with his children as possible. At her graduation party in 2016, Carlin said she aspired to be like her father, saying, "He’s always been faithful in the little things. He’s steady in the Lord. Whatever he does, he doesn’t lose his cool." Grandchildren On November 2, 2013, Gil's daughter Erin married Chad Paine. The couple has three children, Charles Stephen "Carson" (born May 14, 2015), Brooklyn Elise (born August 6, 2016) and Everly Hope (born March 30, 2018). They are expecting their fourth child, another girl. On December 14, 2013, Gil's son Zachary married Whitney Perkins. The couple has three children, Bradley Gilvin (born October 29, 2014), Kaci Lynn (born May 20, 2016) and Khloé Eileen (born November 7, 2019. On May 24, 2014, Gil's daughter Alyssa married John Webster. The couple has three children, Allie Jane (born April 11, 2015), Lexi Mae (born January 26, 2017) and Zoey Joy (born March 28, 2018). On August 15, 2015, Gil's daughter Michaela married Brandon Keilen. The couple currently does not have any children, and has been vocal about their struggles with infertility. On December 16, 2017, Gil's daughter Tori married Bobby Smith. The couple has one child, Robert "Kade" Ellis (born November 9, 2018). They are expecting their second child, another boy. On October 5, 2018, Gil's daughter Josie married Kelton Balka. The couple has one child, Willow Kristy (born July 19, 2019). On May 25, 2019, Gil's daughter Carlin married Evan Stewart. They are expecting their first child, a daughter. Career Television Gil Bates and his family's close family friends, the Duggar family, premiered their own reality show, 17 Kids and Counting, on TLC in 2008. In the episode "When Big Families Collide", which aired on October 13, 2008, the show's viewers were introduced to the Bates family. Gil and his family went on to appear in a number of episodes in the show's ten season run. On March 13, 2012, a special episode of the show, "The Bates Family: And Baby Makes 19" premiered, which served as a sort of re-introduction to the family before the premiere of their own TLC show, United Bates of America, on August 13, 2012. The show ran for one season, before announcing on October 6, 2012, that it had been canceled. On November 18, 2014, the family announced they had begun filming for a second reality show, Bringing Up Bates. Bringing Up Bates, which premiered on UpTV on January 1, is currently in its sixth season. Gallery GilKelly-Wedding.jpg|Kelly and Gil at their wedding in 1987. Kelly-September19.jpg|Kelly in September 2019. Kelly-December19.jpg|Kelly in December 2019. Kelly-February20.jpeg|Kelly in February 2020. Category:Bates Category:Married Category:Parents Category:Grandparents